Several local organizations have created an initiative aimed at strengthening agriculture technology ties between the St. Louis region and Latin America.
The new initiative, Cultivar STL, aims to build off existing relationships between the two regions and this week will host a delegation locally that includes 30-plus entrepreneurs, investors and innovation officials from Latin America.
Beyond this week’s visit, leaders behind Cultivar STL said they hope the effort can serve as a platform for new programming and partnerships aimed at helping agtech startups in St. Louis and Latin America grow and expand in new markets. The organizations behind Cultivar STL include the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, BioSTL, the Yield Lab LATAM, World Trade Center St. Louis, Greater St. Louis Inc. and 39 North Agtech Innovation District. The groups behind the effort haven't made specific financial pledges and there is no formal budget for Cultivar STL, a spokesperson said. Each organization is contributing to different aspects of this week’s events, the spokesperson said.
A news release said Cultivar STL stems from “nearly six years of relationship building with organizations in Latin America working in the agri-food tech space.”
In 2017, a trade delegation led by the World Trade Center visited Rosario, Argentina, inking a sister city agreement and putting a focus on agriculture ties between the two regions. While the pandemic and its impact on global travel hampered on-the-ground relationship building in recent years, Stephanie Regagnon of the Danforth Center said conversations have accelerated recently about forging stronger ties between St. Louis and Latin America.
“In the last 18 months, as the world opened back up, there was a renewed interest and momentum in seeing what kind of bridges we could build between St. Louis and ecosystems and entrepreneurs across Latin America,” said Regagnon, the Danforth Center’s executive director of innovation partnerships.
That included in June attending the World Agri-Tech South America Summit in São Paulo, Brazil, with officials from the Danforth Center, BioSTL, Missouri Partnership and World Trade Center in attendance. The group attended the event with a theme of “the Future of Agri-Food Tech is STLMade,”
“Frankly, we were shocked at the level of knowledge and awareness of our region as a powerhouse in agtech,” Regagnon said.
That feedback, as well as conversations among different local groups about bolstering agtech ties to Latin America, led to hosting this week’s event, called the “Cultivar Summit.” The summit runs from Tuesday to Thursday and will include attendees from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Honduras, Mexico and Paraguay. The agenda includes visits to the T-Rex incubator, Cortex Innovation district and headquarters of food technology firm Benson Hill (NYSE: BHIL). The group will also visit cultural locations, including Major League Soccer stadium CityPark, Forest Park and the Missouri Botanical Garden. The summit will include a workshop focused on how to “ideate partnerships and programs that can strengthen relationships in the future.”
Tomas Pena, managing director of The Yield Lab LATAM, said he hopes the workshop can help define future goals and programming for Cultivar STL. He said he hopes the initiative leads to Latin American companies expanding in St. Louis. Yield Lab LATAM is the Latin America arm of St. Louis-based agtech investor The Yield Lab.
Regagnon said she believes the future of Cultivar STL holds much potential for a wide array of programming. She said that could include programs designed to help startups expand in St. Louis and Latin America, research collaborations and fellowship programs.
“I think the door is wide open,” she said.
